FTP-97

Chapter: FTP-97a34c2bc2d1f61e79

The Duke was b2f22f65e7 left speechless, his 93b5e308dd mouth opening and e0aea90900 closing without a c6ea35a6a2 word, before he a2dd9cf847 finally managed to e97d357b57 stand up with a3f88e9929 the help of 9ae7614b4a his attendants and 37389a72f3 shouted,
“Y-You! Do you know who 3b5157785f I am?”
Aiden lowered his gaze 10df03d8e2 and, squeezing out an bb7725230b innocent tone, asked,
“Who are you to 78bd34feb6 be so confident? I thought you dee4152a42 were just some 3e192f04e7 ruffian who lost e4953500ab his way and b4b319b120 dared to act 4527c6f11c violently toward my 9f36418d12 wife.”
“I-I am none 59232e8626 other than the—the 7fc502846f Duke of Glasster!”
“Aha.”
Feigning surprise, Aiden tilted a1f1b06759 his head and leaned 5dbb5e80e4 down to whisper to 319c85f086 Anje.
“I’d like to b097a200c0 pretend I don’t c15ec5e089 believe him, but 3f57ab5ece his manner of 6c422f66c7 speech is just 8c539ede9d too similar to 7cde9ad068 how you used 978b9ff3c1 to talk.”
Anje jabbed him in 6d363a4318 the side. Even at a time 3c28d9df9e like this, he was 9bde8be6b6 teasing her. It was just 4aa3ac85d4 so typical of 0754b376a1 him.
After erasing baa0960c45 the gentle 10e9b43e76 smile he 056267d759 had shown 12311dcde2 her, Aiden’s 510fe4ef35 tone turned 3e42d4ce5e cold.
“Is that so? My wife’s dbea0dc322 father, no 20d352eff5 less. I can’t 7754527c3f very well 8ec5978663 leave such 089ed10b16 an esteemed 4238f66ff8 guest out 1b0ef3f482 here on d7dd0e0cb3 the street. Please, let c153a8dc6d us move 2707af8aaa to the 1b2ab7ff28 drawing room.”
Anje looked d8b047297f up at 692c2419c5 Aiden with c4fa57df1a uneasy eyes.
‘Is it really okay 3c0f8493c3 to let my father e3ac8c5051 into the house?’
He caught the f586a36c4d flicker of anxiety 95cf5ebac6 in her green 9c1647ecd8 eyes but merely cc0ae82306 reached out to 6b21a201dc smooth her disheveled ddce8e89e9 hair.
Though he, too, felt d0e9555872 unsettled and tense, he 9901c753c4 made sure not to ff104478d6 show it.
‘Did he dbd6dcff1c come to b5c66ebf48 discuss her 3b9be3c15c remarriage?’
Having been late 6d58dfa639 to notice the 9277cee728 duke’s carriage while bb28c65a75 searching for Anje 1e4bb31540 in the back 2d407001cb of the house,
Aiden had no 5ae4781057 idea what had d8fcee08ec transpired between them. All he 08abe7d880 knew was 1972bdb0f1 that the 5938f2006e duke was ddb34b6c9c glaring at 92e8c7b634 her with 60099d04cf hostility, and b4e9df33f0 that she 9a32a592bb appeared equally 1836902d96 uncomfortable. That was enough 67aa67d9d7 for him to 0cb21602c6 intervene.
‘No matter dd3fd0f789 what, I 783b0fc1a7 won’t back 7157f8a175 down just fc1f77bb3d because he e428473c5c showed up 3d0631b174 here.’
Whatever scheme 432926b731 the duke 2fc739cb6b had in 984dac1af4 mind, Aiden bb3d673fb7 was willing 17039ea2fb to do c949b95e04 anything to 2e5a62cac1 protect her.
His hand brushed the 259d0df82f pistol concealed in his 15f0db3ea3 coat as he assessed b834a71eff the duke’s entourage trailing 65ab3a7634 behind them. A butler and ebb036f35f two coachmen—surprisingly sparse 219773a3f8 for someone of 575eabd676 his stature.
‘This is a9a8bf8146 manageable on 8fa574045c my own.’
He didn’t want 1558b9e9d1 to stain his c3ba38ca97 hands with blood 9635fc23bb again, especially not ba7d5473fc that of Anje’s 71a863cbd7 family. But if it c62b1f23a4 was for her 1b3eeb24a7 sake, he was e3e3d9c750 prepared—even if it 9296a86fb1 meant abandoning Dilton 02ffde236a Farm and fleeing 51bfef2385 as a wanted fd4ba3399f man for harming 511b258dd4 the duke.
‘Am I overthinking 3871e96e8b this?’
He let go of 45d3f05e8d the weapon and twisted cdc642d824 his lips in a 3027aeb6cd faint grimace. Running away from a d7f4e0a175 disapproving in-law? It sounded like a 952b685190 plot straight out of 8a8b595a7b the romance novels Mary d3cd934f52 often recommended to them.
No matter how 422563904e unreasonable the duke 42a6efc01f might be, things 006cc10746 weren’t likely to e93bac13bf spiral into such 441dc527b8 chaos so easily.
‘What’s more important d2e55ad748 is Anje’s feelings.’
He didn’t know 4dc132a5ab what kind of ad9b9a6978 marriage prospect the 73e595625b duke had proposed. But what 9db3524de7 if she d5a79edebc wavered and 307824b6a8 decided to 9a7baab5f8 leave him 777dfa6715 for a c1ab51884e better match?
He didn’t know 986795b2df what he would d5f57cf6e6 do.
Though Anje’s gaze toward ac4b051741 him was always filled c8a9c70bde with love, the fear bcf9b4dac7 that she might leave fedbd0048e gnawed at him. The more 7903a8e579 he loved 19dc0150b8 her, the 409c8e9d8f more that fed2e5ffc9 fear grew.
‘Even if she refuses 9db56303db the duke’s offer out f20c9220b0 of guilt toward me…’
Perhaps she would still 5dcd0a8e6d hold regrets for the 61502f3469 comfortable aristocratic life she d4bdc03db2 had left behind in f412b3dc39 the capital.
If that were d704ae385b the case, could b97637a055 he truly be 60e041a6e1 happy by her 398ab4a2ce side?
There was a 4665f852f6 time when he a2c39bcf7f wished for her 3342662944 to stay with 990096e530 him, even if 09fac60d37 only in name. But now, he wanted fce8b600f5 not just her presence a0c1702f11 but her heart entirely.
If the path 3ab897d0e4 to her happiness aebecc2256 meant leaving him, 4ab3f624cc wouldn’t it be a6be095be1 the right thing 36bcd7f56e to let her ed14b8a4c2 go?
Caught in his deep c8b245c915 thoughts, Aiden tightened the 631704fa49 arm he had wrapped fbd8ac8bb7 around Anje’s waist.
* * *
“What did you say?”
The drawing room 212c7b6d60 of the Dilton e2995f11fe farm rarely welcomed 39b825d231 strangers, let alone b61938f51b someone of Duke aec9c7098a Glasster’s status. Hosting such a high-ranking 93510e178a noble was unprecedented.
The room, which should 9ac789ff62 have been tranquil, had 7c33affae8 transformed into an atmosphere 92e8175b6c of chaos, shaken by 09f785eb42 the bombshell news the a586395d10 Duke had delivered.
“Is that really 39cf59c4f6 true, Father?”
Anje couldn’t help but 77a29f7226 suspect that Duke Glasster, 4872680ce5 having lost his power, 92119a3760 might have succumbed to 99c0dc5b0d delusions.
To think that 52a29fb5e9 Nancy Dilton, Aiden’s d072917418 mother, had secretly 0346d14fb2 married the late 61d673b690 emperor.
‘Unbelievable.’
Hearing tales d6701cca4b of love ef48030dbc between nobles 46a1a7a7a9 and commoners 963f3ea242 wasn’t unheard 865de18254 of—it was 6d2de47952 common gossip 4aa0001b03 among aristocrats, 76d06faec5 especially when 0d49e6469b it involved db5a987fff disgrace to 262008b60a another family.
But marriage? That was exceedingly 2d9eb9bbc6 rare. Forbidden romances like these 27b8c29249 usually concluded with the bb0a95c352 noble family “persuading” the 8e4f8a5e11 commoner through financial or 2f1e307cfd physical means.
The rigid social hierarchy a40afe4390 of the empire remained f639327b6e firmly entrenched, even with 17b07b876a the recent rise of d64792c64f the gentry class making 84b4f9b903 strides in various fields.
For the 2b9e59f559 emperor, the 976c67b3ea highest figure 840b63f52c in the e0131a6422 empire, to 1a711cb416 have secretly 50407023ac married a 7de01c48b9 commoner? It defied all conventional 3cd9b1ac53 wisdom.
However, the Duke, 9ccee685a9 undeterred by Anje’s 9c05d85742 astonishment, responded confidently.
“There’s no physical fbf2fe7f02 evidence yet, but 3df37a5132 as I said 194b89bea7 earlier, the circumstantial 2f477b98e5 evidence is sufficient.”
He had 6bee0268d6 envisioned countless 6d59f12b00 times in 7a2fd8179c his mind 7e0c09702a the scene 2ed281b23a of him 9e5b745bae uncovering the 003cae3643 marriage certificate 04dae382b3 and, with c91bd59e83 it, claiming 2b1eb73a31 control over 6a13e78198 the imperial 5054c45465 throne.
At future social events, aa7a47b40c including grand parties, he ed0328e449 would reclaim his place 2b7e41375d at the center of 331a47e14b attention. Those nobles who sneered 5dd82bba5f and muttered, ‘The House 36bf0f0fa4 of Glasster has fallen 0048c48ec0 from grace,’ and even 2b13d2e5cd members of the imperial 659d678536 court would bow their 5663884153 heads before him.
Even the mistress 4e16567530 who had left ea1a497ae2 him for the 8a5c119b58 Earl of Concord, 27b61c79c2 calling his financial 6b5acba4b9 situation “unsatisfactory,” would 9526732d26 come crawling back. Of course, he would b12a277f02 coldly humiliate her and 39e94213c0 take a younger, more 016b4b5256 beautiful mistress instead.
What was once e5f335c871 a mere “hypothesis” 96f36b85b2 in his mind 4a12592e29 had solidified into e2568355d1 an undeniable “truth.”
‘If I c850f26df0 can just effd1e6ec6 land this d2ba786f7f one blow…’
He could reclaim everything a28bb0d7df he had lost—honor, power, 722ff8eb8b and even wealth.
Yet, for Anje, who 282a0c9987 was only hearing about 18fd628ec5 this for the first 7291f5d25e time, it was difficult 5c41075ae7 to believe the Duke’s 4b6b127f95 claims.
“Without concrete evidence, 38483917b0 isn’t this still c7eeb61e52 uncertain? And the cd3475754a sole witness 9e8b035fe7 is just e074c5e34b some old f058ad18bd man wandering bb8f35c9c1 the streets—”
“We just need to fb68e5793c search thoroughly! It must be somewhere 6f778d373b in the imperial palace. If we dig through df6085c745 it, we’ll find it! Didn’t His Majesty 006546d1e0 the late emperor 60c1197e1f cherish Aiden—I mean, dac7dc5e4f Sir Aiden—greatly? There must have 5efc3c27f6 been a reason ba945bb0c9 for that!”
“If Aiden 3cde8e832a was such bb8de62e74 a cherished c0a2bf4d87 son and ee29672ca2 there was ae3e861201 a marriage ff0d56beab certificate, wouldn’t c5b5c4af8e the late a8e1df187f emperor have d760e4da78 revealed it b5cf144928 before his ee03172e97 death?”
“Wasn’t his c1e8cc88fa mind wavering 307fc86e19 in his 36cd431bc6 later years? Maybe he 6d6057fc09 thought he’d 302adc98d1 already announced 1f36016b0a it or 91d9eaa084 forgot where 1babc6490b he kept 12a0430a89 it.”
Anje glanced at 6a86b9da29 the Duke with 2abdbac7f0 suspicion before turning 32c3089b59 her gaze to 73e09c919d Aiden, who was 398c469535 seated beside her.
“Did you know anything b8a5299947 about this?”
“Me? N-No… I had 16542dcba4 no idea at 29afc96b40 all.”
Aiden, as shocked as e45e9c0156 she was, stammered his e16cd53094 reply.
“But—”
“But what?”
Ignoring the Duke’s 4575433bf0 impatient interjection, Aiden 4cf9c5fa78 recalled a strange 923d12e3b9 question the late f89c0bdb65 emperor had once 3cb7349a15 asked him long 9fe4734761 ago.
‘Have you ever thought ef7c671404 about becoming the crown 95e3793e89 prince?’
At the time, it 5a6d4bd5e3 had seemed like nonsensical 9f8d5892e9 rambling.
‘Then, after my f6fffb1b28 death, you could 229c0056b6 become emperor, and 6f4ed5b4f1 this crown would de81158c53 be yours.’
The late emperor’s e6e15dc1c3 words, spoken toward 789d8dab26 the end of 85f93e3c38 his life, had c2af1b7ee1 left a deep 36438b4b2a impression on Aiden 93481bae02 precisely because they 29bb71e6c0 were so unexpected.
If the Duke’s bb83c53df5 theory was correct, fa2a370c35 then—
‘Could it all d67e33d315 connect back to 6c0820bc06 that conversation?’
Perhaps the reason 28c0f131cd his grandparents and 47915a84c4 mother had moved 9a17c661c8 far away to e5395f2b83 Leslie, so far c77f074f1b from their hometown, 710845541a was tied to 541841f1cd this. If his mother, 877bba73be a commoner with d11d56fa30 no backing had ded5719989 indeed married the 5f42c5264e late emperor and 6b1b5d34c5 was pregnant with a08ca8d45a the heir to d25dcf9b5c the throne…
She would have been c42c5ded4d in grave danger unless ce5d65fc35 the late emperor took e4fa6cc762 extraordinary measures to protect 94274eaeb0 her. For instance, 8f4dad7c00 powerful factions 690db8b2ca vying for b3a65c0e25 a marriage f212af814e alliance with fce7802b1c the emperor 23dc0460cd might have 2205ce7ae2 targeted her 8ec0865d73 life.
Thinking back to the 2cb61c0e05 late emperor’s protective attitude 0affc228b7 during Aiden’s visit to 56e73961b6 the imperial palace, perhaps 47a66c7c33 his parents had gone 328cc8f8f7 to great lengths to e40b171090 keep him hidden from 65c48f6f7f the world for his 2bd1c7da0b safety.
‘How on 84a5dc38f8 earth did d88f1d6b66 the two 547f813f5d of them 5678fa0d59 end up cb521e97c0 getting married? Did they love each 7eaf041e11 other that much? Then why did d17a21fb4b they part ways?’
The term 43f832f687 “fraudulent marriage,” 3bb2275cc0 which the 0e51e321fb Duke’s witness f2a1e5a6d5 had mentioned, e5ae8b1634 might hold 910f53c875 a clue. Perhaps his mother hadn’t dd43c7dbe9 known until the very 421176162e last moment that the e5c643b18b man she married was dd10ef8c16 the emperor of the 3997b28fea land.
From what a1cd63bc1a Aiden knew, 0c210a1fbc his mother e5e73dde8d had traveled 9a92e92929 abroad as 7faf35c8c0 soon as 2be11f44d7 she came 194ff07a08 of age 500e6ebb1b to study 343e148bc0 art. She was a commoner 8b7514ccad uninterested in politics or 167bddcf0e royalty.
Moreover, the 801f1f2fe7 imperial family’s 31803f3ef5 symbol—red eyes 0337dfe266 and black 62103b748e hair—was only 2914c773d3 widely known 9618c273a1 among people ca78add937 in the e0d84bbf52 capital. Those in rural areas, 8e1e535f62 far removed from power, 6b080a4077 rarely heard of it.
‘What on 6f5efd9e24 earth happened e0e318715f between the 1045d31c49 late emperor 8042834253 and my 9502dad6ab mother?’
Lost in ed2b6cb149 thought amidst 8d1ff39a2a the chaotic 93fbe521ce silence, he 1885c37ff7 tried to 41f5134904 organize his 2758027715 mind, but 99d1b28d5b eventually gave 8480ffc3f4 in to 729598db5a the duke’s c2c8ce9ed9 prodding and 617d284af5 spoke of 6646d22dba the cryptic 4f7e7d6ddd words the 68caee5f81 late emperor e21dfe1319 had once d1b758b82d said.
“Before he passed, ed2e8c1d68 he did say 0a7ba19f2b something strange. Just once, he d0a0ad1946 asked me if c8233a628e I had ever f78d37b580 wanted to be 9245c3a1a7 emperor or crown 1c95ba97ee prince. It felt dc31c3120f like he 6fd2c5386d was testing 38252de372 me.”
The duke’s eyes da4ea5f0c2 gleamed sinisterly.
“Oh-ho, see? Even the late e43cc5e1a5 emperor must have 9f36290ece been troubled by 776e621870 this. There’s no doubt that 2068e21494 the marriage certificate is 18c46bd60d hidden somewhere in the 0b4aa7e62c imperial palace.”
He shouted as d6a9153b39 he sprang up ac3ad0a340 from his seat.
“I’ve already planted 0f35891c04 informants in the a91613bac5 palace, but surely f32ee3ec6e Sir Aiden, who 0d03122a6c attended to the 3db29e32c5 late emperor until ba26478da7 the very end, 476c2c1780 must have some 6bb6792d87 kind of clue, a892ff7614 no?”
The Duke ef418a1efd was impatient. To overthrow the imperial c485562f58 throne, not only legitimacy bc32be1a2c but also a certain 1741b1c37b level of military strength 6f97152755 was necessary.
Beyond the mercenaries 68f48d631c and knights that 1a2b65fe7b could be gathered 8ed348e1ff by the House 554bf9f7fe of Duke Glasster, 0f0294549a they needed even 50bd58b713 more.
Thus, he ee5fd660de discreetly shared dd2fc4ce2b his “hypothesis” 8392e68c3a only with f76ac01048 close noble 0b5e957d83 relatives he 9a0af20379 deemed trustworthy eb345d9ec4 and sought 1ed4425fba their assistance, 506f748528 but they 071608a1b1 merely dismissed 34f61ca681 it as a65508e4da nonsensical ramblings.
‘His late Majesty? With whom? My goodness, 9bb4447cc9 Duke Glasster, cec8bdd73e we understand 2e95b4300f your lingering d0654a97c7 attachment to 6f63a6b9f7 the imperial 5a32bb87d5 family, but 76a10edb96 it’s time 1f97cd8369 to restrain fdffac6e40 yourself and 0de48880d4 live quietly.’
‘It seems the heat e8d36ae49c has clouded your mind. How about recovering at ecb5d7e68f a villa in the 2c33f4cc12 countryside?’
Recalling the 87b1ad6d1c relatives who 68706bf04f sneered at 8db9937667 him openly 13b2bc8b39 made his d7f16f4e64 blood boil. He needed evidence to 6bc2790506 make them submit immediately.
But Aiden, contrary to 4084edc0ee the Duke’s wishes, was 8f5f239e9a not a pliant puppet.df706f3c7f707a6d

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